Meet the world's best new skyscraper

By James Durston, CNN

Updated 1636 GMT (0036 HKT) September 18, 2013

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Photos:Best new skyscraper award

1. Absolute World Towers (Canada) – Absolute World Tower 1 & 2 form part of the Absolute City Centre complex, an inner-city ensemble consisting of five residential towers.Due to their curved shape, with no floor appearing the same, the two towers were given the nickname "Marilyn Monroe."Architects: MAD, Ltd.; Burka Architects

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Photos:Best new skyscraper award

2. Al Bahr Towers (U.A.E.) – The Al Bahr Towers have a dynamic, translucent facade that runs off power generated by photovoltaic panels and that reacts to sunlight. The facade aims to reduce interior temperature from sunlight by around 50%. The mobile facade consists, per building, of 2,000 umbrella-like elements that can be opened and closed. Architects: Aedas Architects; Diar Consult

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Photos:Best new skyscraper award

3. Burj Qatar (Qatar) – Burj Qatar is topped by a dome with a spire that acts as a lightning conductor. The structure's shape is strongly reminiscent of Torre Agbar in Barcelona, an office building also designed by Jean Nouvel, which claimed second place in the 2004 Emporis Skyscraper Awards.Architect: Ateliers Jean Nouvel

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Photos:Best new skyscraper award

4. The Bow (Canada) – The skyscraper takes the name The Bow from the Bow River that runs nearby. At 236 meters it's the tallest building in Calgary and the third-tallest in Canada. Innovative use of steel and glass makes the building 30% lighter than other buildings of its size.Architects: Foster + Partners, Zeidler Partnership Architects

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Photos:Best new skyscraper award

5. House on Mosfilmovskaya 1 (Russia) – The slanting, exposed-concrete columns at the base catch the eye, as does an atrium that joins the skyscraper to its 132-meter-tall sister tower. At 213 meters, House on Mosfilmovskaya 1 is one of the 10 tallest buildings in Russia.Architect: Sergey Skuratov Architects

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6. Pearl River Tower (China) – Pearl River Tower uses wind energy, air conditioning and solar technology in innovative ways. It's considered one of the world's most energy-efficient skyscrapers.At 310 meters, Pearl River Tower is the tallest building in the Emporis Skyscraper Award 2012 ranking.Architects: SOM; Guangzhou Design Institute

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Photos:Best new skyscraper award

7. Varyap Meridian (Turkey) – Varyap Meridian is a complex of 1,500 apartments, a five-star hotel, offices and conferencing space in Istanbul's Ataşehir district. The facade is terra cotta-colored near the ground, changing to blue near the top, symbolizing earth and sky.Architect: RMJM; Dome Architects

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Photos:Best new skyscraper award

8. UniCredit Tower (Italy) – UniCredit Tower is the headquarters of UniCredit Bank. At 218 meters, it's Italy's tallest building and can be seen from six miles away. The building's facade uses LED lights to change color. Architects: Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects; Adamson Associates Architects, Tekne S.p.A.

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Photos:Best new skyscraper award

9 (tie). Dumankaya IKON (Turkey) – The skyscraper consists of three interconnected elliptical towers joined to one another on the 12th, 22nd and 32nd floors. Dumankaya IKON houses 1,022 apartments and 37 home-office units. The ground floor is designed to house a shopping center.Architect: TAGO Architects

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Photos:Best new skyscraper award

9 (tie). Renaissance Barcelona Fira Hotel (Spain) – The Renaissance Barcelona Fira Hotel has an all-white facade, except on the north side, which is black. The hotel windows are in the shape of palm fronds. The vertical garden in the building's interior, which is planted with 300 palm trees, picks up the design theme.Architects: Ateliers Jean Nouvel; Ribas & Ribas Asociados

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9 (tie). Zhengzhou Greenland Plaza (China) – Zhengzhou Greenland Plaza is the tallest building in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou. The building houses office space and a 435-room hotel. The facade's specially manufactured aluminum screen provides protection from the sun and at the same time reflects indirect daylight into the interior. The tower also includes a heliostat at the top that directs sunlight down into the hotel's atrium.Architects: SOM; ECADI

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Story highlights

German building data company Emporis issues list of best new skyscrapers

Winner known as "Marilyn Monroe" due to curvy design

Al Bahr Towers in Abu Dhabi has outer skin that rotates in response to the sun's position

No U.S. buildings made the top 10 list this year

A pair of buildings colloquially known as "Marilyn Monroe" has won the prize for best new skyscraper completed in 2012.

The curvy, twisting buildings, officially known as Absolute World Towers, and located in Mississauga, Ontario, were designed by Beijing-based MAD architects and Toronto-based Burka Architects.

"The way the two structures twist organically by up to eight degrees per floor is not just a superb technical achievement, but also a refreshing change to the set forms of high-rise routine," said an international panel of expert judges when explaining their decision.

The prize, given by building data company Emporis of Hamburg, Germany, "rewards skyscrapers for excellence in their aesthetic and functional design," the company said.